NBA Plots Pre-Season European Tour
The National Basketball Association unveiled plans for another whirlwind pre-season exhibition tour of Europe with four teams hitting continental hardwood in October.
The New Orleans Hornets, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards will play each other during the NBA Europe Live tour in Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris, with EA Sports on board as presenting sponsor for the third consecutive year. Coca-Cola, Adidas, Champion, and Spalding, the official league basketball supplier, are also on board as pan-European partners with marketing rights in all venues.
“This continues our goal to increase the fan base for basketball throughout Europe,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern during a press conference call.
More marketing partners are to be announced, Stern said, noting that last year’s tour drew support from sponsors in Italy, Spain, the UK and Turkey. A total of 23 companies sponsored last year’s tour. The overall goal, Stern said, is to create “a regularity” about the tour to encourage more sponsors to participate.
Stern said the league planned to increase the number of grassroots initiatives on this year’s tour, including local basketball clinics and tournaments with current and former NBA players to be involved.
Euroleague Basketball is also a partner on the tour, although the NBA squads won’t be playing any exhibitions against any Euroleague club teams as they did last year.
European players are fixtures on NBA rosters these days. Along with drawing talent from abroad, the league draws $430 million in merchandising from overseas markets, representing 20% of its overall merchandising revenue.
The tour is an indication of the NBA’s overseas ambitions: it’s been contemplating the creation of an NBA league on the continent.
Stern said staging regular season games in Europe “becomes a possibility” with current economic conditions favoring the Euro and the advent of larger arenas, such as Berlin’s new O2 World.
Last year’s seven NBA European exhibition games drew 75,000 fans to the venues, with 10.3 million TV viewers tuning in.
